The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-09-01
AMAZING ADVENTURES.
Two Trutb-Hating Stage-Drivers Meet and
Fight u Mighty Duel.

coIdDllSu tue IdCG IDdI CdOh vac Z" r
fessional liar as we'll as driver, and {
worthy opponent for the other, the
Western man said:
1--WE done some perty remark biz
things in the West, which l s'pOsC
would s'prise you some if | was to tel
YOU bout EN-. l was driving stage
once an at Fort Steele somebody stole
all the wheels of7n the stage. Ipu
the six hOsses on run an went to
Rawlins, eighteen mile, l;ckctybrindle
with the stage hyin' in the air behind
bout four feet from the ground
Il have druv stage some, myself,
unused the Eastern liar. rs he closed his
eyes as if lost in thought. "but always
In the East, so OF course l never met
with no such s'prisin' adventures as
you have l remember one little incl
dent, though, rs might pos bly, be with
tellin' L was drivin' four-hOss stage
tween Scrabbleyille and Bone Corners,
twelve miles. One day jess l got ready
to start discovered that somebody had
stole the road between the two places.
Plenty o wheels on my stage, unner-
stand, but no road to run EN- on.
Ies' went down 10 ButterwOrth creek
an got couple o bridges an stuck
one of 'em ont towards the Corners,
druv out cp it, Grawed the other out
and showed it ahead. druv on it, an
KEEP repeatin' | made the drive in
something over four hours"
Yes" said the Western liar, APP
provimgIy, THAT was the best you
could do if you didn't have no extra
roads along. We gently carried long
one or two 10 use in case of 'mcrgen-
cies. Ever have any trouble with road
agents?"
"You mean robbers, l gucss?"
"Yes."
"a couple of EN- tackled me one day,
but chased EN- two mile an finely
run over EN- with the stage"
"All the road agents in the West COM
bined once near Julesburg to down me.
Twenty-Five of 'em opened fire on my
coach at once. 1t made me mad, an /
got off with my Winchester an went
for 'em. left my bosses an passcn-
gers an beat round in the sage-brush
for three days shootin' road agents.
One would Jump up bout ev'ry five
minutes an l would crack him over.
Lots o fun, though L needed good
bird dog. Stage company fined me two
hundred dollars for delayin' bus ness.
1t was further down the river near
North Platte that the m'Skeeters tried
to hold me up next summer. They
swarmed all over. Ole boss died from
loss o biood-gOod boss, too. l be-
licye a couple o English tourists who
were riding outside got killed by EN-,
too. went to smoking some dog-tail
terbacker a man from Missoury give me
an that fixed EN-"
"Ye cant skeer jersey skeeters with
smoke" said the Eastern driver, calm.
Iv. i've druv there and tried it. One
evening they were coming up out OF
Sedgwick' ; marsh powerful thick. l lii
my pipe an lowed to drive 'em way.
was putin long when suddenly one
of EN- come up an asked me for a
light. an L looked round an seen
mother one scratchin' 4 match on his
leg an lightin' a cigar. They were
bad that trip. They would come up
out of that marsh an stand long the
road an sort o lean over an look at me-
like turkey lookin' AZ 4 grasshoppcr
l guess they thought / was too small
game. Some o the young ones picked
at me, though, an MADE it sort o dis
gree bic. "
Ever have any spcrience with raw
hide traces ?" asked the Western man
No" answered the other, doubt
fully, Il guess not-mebby l hav,
under some other name, though-prob
IDLY | have. Go head"
u tried EN- out in the Green rive
country-thought they would be very
dur bic. YOU know. Didn't think 'bou
their li'bil'ty to stretch. l was goin
from Point of Rocks to Green River
Forded Alkali creek an them tugs be
gun to stretch. was ridin' the neal
wheel boss fer change at the time, an
fore | knowed it the coach was two
mile behind. l thought O goin' bacl
but seed it wouldn't do no good cause
they we've the only traces had, so ]
KEEP goia'. When l got to Rock Spring
ten mile from The creek, stopped.
didn't know what to do at first, but ies
happened to think of a scheme ant
tried it. tied all them tugs together
and fastened 'em to 4 tree, an jss' Sc
down an waited. The sun shone warm
ard by-'n'-by them traces gun Il
shrink an in bout two hours the coacl
come rattlin' long 'sif there was forty
bosses to it.
Il don't b'lieve l ever had {
'sperience zackly like that" said the
Eastern driver, 'but l had one most a:
bad when / druv over the mount ms il
in Pennsylvany. There come up S
rain an my whip lash got wet. wa:
crackin' it round an the end of it goi
caught some way on a small tree.
KEEP holt of the handle an went or
four or five mile, where we stopped fol
dinner. Ithrowed the whip down an
it caught on the fence. After 1 got
through eatin' went out, an Tn s
liar if that lash wasn't shrinkin' and
TOWN. in that tree, which it had pulled
up by the roots. l arays lowed Their,
was powerful good stuff in that lashr
''Must ha' been some raw-hide in it
p'raps some O. the same that was il